Favorite Reads of 2019
photo by Ed Robertson
I’m a finicky reader. About 80% of the books that I check out from my local library never get a review, after undergoing my 50-page test. (To be honest, some don’t make it past page 10.) Reasons that I send books back unfinished and unreviewed? Oh, too much violence or an insipid plot or characters who are so disgusting that I don’t want to get involved with them. And remember, I don’t even check out books in the genres of horror or science fiction or fantasy.
In 2019 I reviewed 72 books on the Cedar Park Book Blog, and picking my favorites was a challenge. The sixteen below are the best of the best! Contemporary fiction rose to the top this year, with eight of the sixteen titles that I selected.
Here are the winners, in alphabetical order by title. The brief descriptions with each are totally insufficient, so be sure to click on the title to go to my full review.
Becoming by Michelle Obama The former First Lady recounts her remarkable life as if she’s sitting right in the room with you. MEMOIR
The Body in Question by Jill Ciment In spare prose, the story of an affair between two jurors sequestered for a sensational murder trial. CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng An intimate family tale wrapped around a tragic death, probing racism and sexism in 20th-century America. HISTORICAL NOVEL
The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling Deftly deflates cultural beliefs about immigration law, motherhood, and rural California. CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Henry, Himself by Stewart O’Nan An introspective, naturalistic portrait of a retired engineer in Pittsburgh. CONTEMPORARY FICTION
How Not To Die Alone by Richard Roper A forlorn civil servant in London has a job searching the homes of the deceased for evidence of family. Can he find happiness? CONTEMPORARY FICTION
The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J Ryan Stradal A quirky take on the craft brewery phenomenon, featuring feisty women of the upper Midwest. CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Little Faith by Nickolas Butler A family in rural Wisconsin becomes involved with a religious cult as they try to sort out their relationships. Poignant portraits of varying beliefs. CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Normal People by Sally Rooney Coming of age, falling in love, and confronting societal constraints, by Ireland’s hottest new novelist. CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout Don’t miss this sequel to the Pulitzer-winning novel Olive Kitteridge. Linked short stories by a truly gifted American writer. CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield A nearly drowned young girl is the center of a magical mystery that unwinds along the Thames in the 19th century. HISTORICAL MYSTERY
The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair In post-WWII London, two bright women start a marriage bureau and end up solving a crime. Spunky and sparkly. HISTORICAL MYSTERY
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames A boisterous Italian family’s 20th-century immigration saga, starring the women. HISTORICAL NOVEL
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens A “Marsh Girl” roams the lush swamps of coastal North Carolina and meets both friends and foes. Evocative prose. HISTORICAL MYSTERY
The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason A medical student assigned to an eastern European field hospital confronts the physical and mental damages of WWI. A bleak but rewarding read. HISTORICAL NOVEL
The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz An invented version of the author Horowitz helps solve a crime in this spritely metafictional British whodunit. MYSTERY
Happy reading in 2020! Check back with the Cedar Park Book Blog every Friday for curated recommendations of historical novels, mysteries, and contemporary fiction, plus an occasional social history and memoir. Follow the blog on Facebook to get a reminder.
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